April 1997: After years of negotiation, the Fish and Wildlife Service and owners of the Kai Malino ranch, where the last dozen or so wild 'alala (Hawaiian crow) were still to be found, finally signed an agreement. The Les Marks Trust, consisting of three sisters who inherited the ranch, would sell 5,300 acres in South Kona, Hawai'i, to the federal government. It, in turn, would manage the area as a wildlife refuge.